JP3245053B2 - Ink tank, method of manufacturing the ink tank, ink jet cartridge using the ink tank, and ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink container (100) for containing ink includes an inner container (102) having a plurality of adjacent accommodating chambers for accommodating the ink; an outer casing (101) for enclosing an outer side of the inner container; wherein the inner container and outer casing are of resin materials which are substantially non-stretched. <IMAGE>

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for accommodating ink and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an ink tank used in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink, and a method for manufacturing the ink tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of ink-jet recording, when recording is performed using a plurality of types of inks, an ink container for accommodating ink to be supplied to recording means comprising an energy generating unit for forming recording droplets. The mainstream is to use a cartridge system in which a unit (ink tank) is detachable from an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0003] These cartridge types are used as an effective form for reducing the running cost in an ink jet recording apparatus of a type using a plurality of types of inks such as color recording.

As a configuration of a cartridge type ink tank, there is a configuration in which a bag-shaped ink container is provided inside a cartridge case as a housing. This bag-shaped container
In general, a laminate structure is used to provide ink resistance and strength. This is because the resin-based film used here is stretched and has orientation, so it is easy to tear in a specific direction, so that a thin film made of a material with excellent tensile properties is laminated. Because it becomes.

In the case of this bag-shaped container, the lid is welded or fitted after the bag-shaped container is inserted into the cartridge case in the manufacturing process.

When these ink tanks are used, there is a difference in height between the recording means and the ink tank mounting portion due to the generation of a negative pressure which is peculiar to the ink jet recording technique. Here, the negative pressure is used to prevent ink from leaking from a discharge unit such as a nozzle provided in the recording means, and means a back pressure against the flow of ink supplied to the recording means. Since this back pressure is used to make the pressure at the discharge port portion negative relative to the atmospheric pressure, it is referred to as negative pressure.

At present, the size of the ink jet recording apparatus is reduced by realizing the negative pressure generating means other than the height difference. As a method for this, a configuration is provided in which an ink tank is provided with a member, such as a porous member, for generating a capillary force, and the ink is held therein.

However, when such a porous member is used, there is a limit in improving the ink storing efficiency per unit volume because the ink is stored in the porous member.

On the other hand, the so-called blow molding using the conventional air blow is used for a food container requiring a laminated structure, and a laminated structure in which respective layers are adhered so as not to be separated is required. . Further, in particular, there has been a demand for close-sealing properties of burrs when direct blow molding is performed.

[0010]

When the above-described bag-shaped container is used, the bag-shaped container is flexible and can be deformed with the consumption of ink, and does not have an air communication structure. Ink leakage due to the communication structure does not occur. In addition, in order to store ink directly in a bag-shaped container,
The ink storage efficiency per unit volume inside the bag-shaped container is high.

However, since the bag-like container has a multilayer structure in order to achieve both flexibility, strength and prevention of ink evaporation, the structure becomes complicated and the number of parts increases. As a result, the ink storage efficiency per unit volume with respect to the entire inside of the cartridge case has an upper limit.

The ink storage efficiency tends to have a lower limit as the number of ink storage units increases so as to store a plurality of colors.

Further, in order to realize the downsizing of the ink jet recording apparatus, it is necessary to provide a negative pressure generation which is a problem peculiar to the ink jet recording field in the ink tank. It is necessary to apply elastic deformation force to the flexible bag by a spring or the like.

In this case, the number of parts increases and the size of the apparatus in the height direction increases again. As the number of ink storage units increases, the current flow of the manufacturing process is simplified and the size of the apparatus is reduced. Would be contrary.

According to the present invention, the ink storage efficiency of an ink tank storing a plurality of types of inks is increased, and in addition, the internal ink does not leak to the outside of the tank and does not stain the user during use. Generates an appropriate negative pressure for recording in the ink storage section of
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink tank that can effectively use ink for printing.

In particular, during storage of the ink tank, the ink stored in the porous body does not unnecessarily leak out due to dropping of the ink tank, rapid change in temperature, vibration, distribution, etc. The purpose is to allow air to be properly taken in at times, to minimize the amount of ink evaporation, and to prevent color mixing during use.

[0017]

As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, an ink tank according to the present invention has a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink adjacent to each other in an ink tank for storing ink. An inner packet, a housing that covers an outer surface of the inner packet and includes an inner packet support portion that regulates the deformation of the inner packet at a plurality of locations, and an ink lead-out section that leads ink inside the inner packet to the outside. , And one of the inner package support portions is a pinch-off portion in which a portion where the inner package is integrated is held by a housing.

[0018]

[0019]

[0020] In any of the above-described ink tanks, it is preferable that a wall partitioning the plurality of adjacent storage spaces of the inner package is thicker than a wall of a non-adjacent portion.

In addition, an ink jet cartridge having the above-described ink tank and an ink jet recording apparatus in which an outer cartridge can be detachably mounted are proposed.

A method of manufacturing an ink tank having an inner package having a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink adjacent to each other and a housing covering an outer surface of the inner package is described below.
A step of preparing a mold for forming the housing of the ink tank, a resin for the housing of the ink tank and a resin for the inclusion body, and forming the resin in a cylinder smaller than the mold formed by the resin for the housing; A step of forming a parison arranged so that a plurality of resin cylinders for the inclusion body are present, and holding the parison by the mold, and inside the plurality of cylinders formed of the resin for the inclusion body of the parison. A method of forming a shape such that the corners of the inner package and the corners of the housing correspond to each other by injecting air into the air, and a step of separating the housing and the inner package. .

By using the above-described ink tank, ink jet cartridge, or ink tank manufacturing method, a plurality of types of ink can be stored in almost the entire space occupied by the ink tank, so that the ink storage efficiency is high. Become. Further, a stable negative pressure is realized in each of the storage sections, and an ink tank excellent in use efficiency can be provided.

Further, by using the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus excellent in ink storage efficiency and use efficiency.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. It is to be noted that, in each figure, components denoted by the same reference numerals have the same functions.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic schematic views of the structure of an ink storage container according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a sectional view, and FIG. 1B is a side view. An embodiment of a container in which the ink tank inner body and the housing are simultaneously formed in one step by blow molding will be described below.

In the ink tank 100 shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a housing of the ink tank, and reference numeral 102 denotes an internal body of the ink tank. The ink tank housing 101 and the ink tank inner body 102 are configured to be separable, and are configured such that the inner wall and the outer wall are in contact with each other or are arranged with a small space therebetween. The small space contains air. The material of the inner package 102 and the casing 101 may be a molding resin having no adhesiveness to each other.

The inner packet 102 is provided with a dividing wall 109 for partitioning the inside so as to divide the inside into a plurality and form a plurality of ink storage portions. Each ink storage section divided by the dividing wall 109 is provided with an ink outlet (ink supply port) 103 from the inside to the outside. And the connection part.

Reference numeral 104 denotes a welded portion (pinch-off portion) in which the inner packet 102 is welded so as to form a closed space.
The inner package 102 is supported by utilizing the fact that the inner package 102 is engaged.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The shape of the welding portion 104 is a linear shape when viewed from the side, but may not be a simple linear shape as long as the ink tank can be easily extracted from the mold in a manufacturing process described later. . Further, the length is not limited to the length presented in the present embodiment, and may be any length that does not protrude from the side.

Also, in FIG. 1A, in order to make the ink supply unit 103 easy to understand, the cross-sectional position of only the ink supply unit is shifted to show the inner package and the housing. Has a welded portion 10 on the side of the ink tank.
When the ink supply unit is located at a position facing 4, the ink supply unit also has a welded portion.

Here, the above-mentioned divided wall 109 is also a portion where the wall constituting the ink containing portion is welded, and is about twice or more thicker than the other constituent walls by a manufacturing process described later. The dividing wall 109 is integrated with the welding portion 104 described above.

Therefore, when the ink contained in the ink tank enclosure is consumed and the volume of the ink tank is reduced, the ink supply section 103 and the pinch-off section 104 support the ink storage section 102. Further, the direction of the deformation at this time is further restricted by the dividing wall 109 which is engaged with the pinch-off portion 104 which is a welding portion.

Thus, irregular deformation of the ink container 102 can be restricted, and stable negative pressure can be generated.

Further, at the time of deformation, the welded portion 104 may separate from the housing depending on the thickness of the inner package. In this case, since the welded portion 104 has a length component, the deformation direction Is limited. Therefore, even when the welded portion comes off the housing, the deformation is not irregular, and the deformation is performed while keeping the balance.

Reference numeral 105 denotes an inner envelope 10 when the inner envelope 102 is deformed due to a decrease in volume due to consumption of ink therein.
It is an inlet for introducing air between the housing 2 and the housing 101, and may be a simple opening or an air inlet valve. This embodiment shows a case of an air communication port having a simple hole (opening).

Instead of the opening for communicating with the atmosphere, the inner package 1
By selecting a material having low adhesiveness between the cover 102 and the housing 101, an external force is applied to the pinch-off portion 104 to separate the inner package 102 from the housing 101, and the separated portion may be used as the air intake 105.

Reference numeral 106 denotes an ink lead-out permitting member having a function of preventing ink leakage from the ink supply section when a slight vibration or external pressure is applied to the tank, which serves as a connection portion with the ink jet head. In this embodiment, a unidirectional fiber member made of an ink absorber is used, and a configuration having a meniscus holding force is provided.
The ink lead-out permitting member 106 substantially seals the ink containing part, and when the ink introduction part on the side of the inkjet head is inserted, the ink inside the ink containing part can be led out while maintaining the airtight state.

Depending on the combination of the ink tank 100 and the ink jet head, a rubber stopper, a porous member, a valve, a filter, a resin, or the like may be used in place of the ink lead-out permitting member 106 instead of the press-contact body. is there.

The generation of the negative pressure in the present embodiment is mainly caused by deformation of each ink storage portion so as to be depressed from the widest constituent wall (also a constituent wall of the inner package). At this time, the ridgeline portion and the dividing wall of the ink storage portion hardly deform, but work to restrict elastic deformation and plastic deformation of the constituent wall surface. Here, the above-mentioned ridge line portion is in contact with the housing 101 in the initial state, and the configuration surface that is mainly deformed is a surface parallel to the paper surface in FIG. 1, that is, a side surface portion of the flat container.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described in detail.

The ink tank provided by the present invention employs a double structure made of a molding resin material, and makes the casing thicker and stronger, while making the inner package thinner to make it softer and inner. Can follow the fluctuation of the volume of the ink stored in the printer. As a material used for each of the constituent walls, it is preferable that the inner package has ink resistance and the housing has impact resistance and the like.

In the present embodiment, blow molding using blowing air was employed as a method of manufacturing an ink tank. This is because the walls constituting the ink tank are made of unstretched resin, so that the ink tank inclusions constituting the ink container can withstand a substantially uniform load in any direction. ing.

Therefore, even if the ink contained in the ink tank inner package swings in any direction while the ink is consumed to some extent and the load is concentrated in a specific direction, the inner package is not damaged. The ink tank inclusion can surely hold the ink, improving the overall durability of the ink tank.

As the blow molding method, there are a method using injection blow and a method using direct blow.

Hereinafter, the ink tank manufacturing process by each method will be described.

When a liquid container is manufactured by injection blow molding, the following steps are performed. First, an outer tank housing is prepared with a preformed parison. Then, a plurality of parisons serving as walls of the ink container or a parison to which a part of the inner wall is adhered are heated and then inserted, blow-molded, and the inner and outer liquid container constituting casings are welded. I do. At the same time, the interior is filled with a liquid and sealed, and the space between the housing and the inner package is communicated with the outside air to complete the process.

In this case, any combination of the outer material and the inner material can be used as long as they can be welded and bonded by themselves. In molding, it is important to control the temperature of the parison entering the inside.

On the other hand, the method using direct blow molding comprises the following steps. First, after the inner resin is partially welded so as to form a plurality of spaces by using the injection nozzle as a multilayer nozzle, the inner resin and the outer resin are simultaneously injected into a mold and molded simultaneously. Thereafter, a liquid is injected into the inside and sealing is performed.

Here, the supply of the resin may be such that the middle resin and the outer resin may be in contact with each other, may not be entirely in contact with each other, or may be a structure in which a part of the resin is in contact with the resin. . In this case, for the surface where the middle resin and the outer resin are in contact, a material to which the resins do not adhere is selected.

When a material of the same system is required depending on the liquid contact property and the shape of the liquid, the middle material or the outer material is formed into a multi-layer structure, and the resin is supplied so that different materials are located on the contact surface. I do.

It is ideal that the supply of the middle resin during molding is uniform over the entire circumference. However, the resin may be partially thinned to make it easier to follow fluctuations in the internal pressure. The method for partially reducing the thickness is selected depending on the internal structure of the liquid container, but the configuration is in accordance with the supply direction of the resin supplied into the mold.

At both ends of the molding, the middle resin and the outer resin are always integrated, the middle liquid container is supported by the outer liquid container, and the shape follows the pressure fluctuation in the liquid container. The structure can be changed.

Unlike a conventional blow-molded product, by selecting a resin having no adhesion between the inside and the outside, a double-container structure without adhesion can be easily formed. The peeling of the inner package and the housing from the pressure-bonded state is performed by reducing the pressure of the internal space formed by the liquid container package or applying an external force.

Further, by using materials having different thermal expansion rates (shrinkage rates) for the molding resin constituting the inner package and the housing, the blow molding is performed, and then the molded article is automatically peeled off as the temperature of the molded article decreases. Further, the number of steps can be reduced.

Similarly, at the time of blow molding, the parison is sandwiched between the molds, an external force is applied to a portion where the end of the inner package is engaged with the end of the housing, and the inner package and the housing are separated from each other. May be used as an atmosphere communication port by communicating with the air.

When injecting the ink into the ink tank manufactured by each of the above-described methods, the inside enclosed by the inner package is suctioned by a vacuum, and then about 90% of the volume in the inner package.
Is desirable. This is to cope with a change in the environment in which the ink tank is placed, thereby helping to prevent the ink from leaking to the outside due to changes in external force, temperature, and pressure.

Also, by suctioning in a vacuum, the outer surface of the inner package and the inner surface of the housing in a pressure-bonded state are separated from each other, so that the deformation of the inner package due to ink consumption is not hindered. Dominantly restrict deformation.

In this embodiment, any of the above-mentioned blow molding methods can be used. Here, the processing by the direct blow molding method will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 2A to 2E show the ink tank manufacturing process of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the ink tank manufacturing procedure.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 201 denotes a main accumulator for supplying an internal resin, 202 denotes a main extruder for extruding the internal resin, and 202 denotes a sub-accumulator for supplying a housing resin.
Reference numeral 04 denotes a sub-extruder that extrudes the housing resin.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the inclusion resin and the housing resin supplied by the above-described accumulator are supplied to the die 206 via the ring 205 (steps S301 and S302), and these are integrated. The formed substantially cylindrical parison 207 is formed (step S30).
3). In this case, the supply of the resin may be such that the resin of the inclusion body and the resin of the housing may be in contact with each other, not all may be in contact, or a structure in which a part of the resin may be in contact.
In this case, the surface where the resin of the inclusion body and the resin of the housing are in contact with each other can be made of a material that does not cause the resin to weld to each other, or by adding a compound to one of the resins when supplying the resin to the mold. It is necessary to form it separably. If the same type of material is required depending on the wettability or shape of the ink, if the material of the enclosure or the material of the housing is multi-layered, resin should be supplied so that different materials are located on the contact surface. Is also good.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the parison 207 is once held by the inner shape forming die 210, and a part of the resin of the inner package is welded to form the welding portion 21 serving as a base of the divided wall.
1 is formed (step S304). In this case, since the inclusion resin and the housing resin do not have adhesiveness, even if a part of the inclusion forming resin is sandwiched by the internal shape forming mold 210 via the housing resin, the housing resin and the inclusion resin are in an adhesive state. Does not.

With respect to the parison 207, the ink tank external shape forming die (mold) 208 disposed so as to sandwich the parison 207 is changed from the state shown in FIG. 2C to the state shown in FIG. 2D. And the parison 207 is sandwiched (step S305). At this time, the end of the inner parison is welded, and this portion becomes the pinch-off portion 104 connected to the partition wall at the end of molding. Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c), when forming the external shape by the two-part mold, the sandwiching direction is set such that a part of the inner package is welded in FIG. 2 (b). It is desirable to make the same as the sandwiching direction.

In addition, the mold for forming the outer shape of the ink tank is:
A mold for forming a welding portion serving as a base of the dividing wall may be provided as a movable structure.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2D, the air nozzle 209 is inserted into each space divided by the divided wall forming welding portion 211, and blowing air is injected, as shown in FIG. 2E. Blow molding. At this time, the spaces partitioned by the welded portions serving as the ink storage portions expand, and the inner package and the housing are brought into close contact with no gap. Further, as the space expands, the expanded wall of the inner parison starts to weld from the vicinity of the welded portion 211 and becomes thicker than the other constituent walls. Finally, Figure 2
As shown in (e), blow molding is performed into a shape suitable for the mold 208 (step S306).

At this time, the conditions such as the pressure and time of the blow ink air are adjusted to be constant so that the respective ink storage sections have the same volume as shown in FIG. The conditions for blowing may be different, but it is preferable that the conditions for feeding into the respective chambers be the same in order to achieve a uniform thickness of the divided walls. In addition, it is more preferable that a vacuum is sucked between the outer parison for the housing and the mold so that the outer parison conforms to the mold.

Further, when the temperature of the mold is adjusted within a range of about ± 30 ° C. with respect to the reference temperature at the time of molding, variations due to individual differences in the thickness of each wall of the ink tank at the time of manufacturing can be reduced. So more desirable.

After that, the outer shape forming die 208 is separated (step S307), the outer surface of the inner package is separated from the inner surface of the housing (step S308), and ink is injected (step S309). Attach (Step S310).

As a method for peeling the outer surface of the inner package and the inner surface of the housing, as described above, the molding resin forming the inner package and the housing is used.
A method using materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion (shrinkage), a method of evacuating, and the like can be given. In the case where the air intake is provided at a position different from the pinch-off portion as shown in FIG. It is desirable because an intake can be provided. By injecting ink after the peeling step between the outer surface of the inner package and the inner surface of the housing, the inner surface of the inner package and the inner surface of the housing in the pressure-bonded state are sufficiently separated as described above, and the wall that separates the welded portion and the ink storage portion. Deformation can be reliably regulated by the elastic deformation force, plastic deformation, and the like of the resin material.

In the above blow molding, since the parison 207 is processed in a viscous state, neither the inclusion resin nor the housing resin has orientation.

When the thicknesses of the resin for the inner package and the resin for the housing before the blow molding are represented by t and T, respectively,
T1 is processed to be thinner than the thicknesses t and T. The relationship between the thickness of the housing resin and the thickness of the inclusion resin is such that T> t and T1> t1 for the purpose of the present invention.

The use of blow molding not only reduces the number of manufacturing steps and improves the yield due to the reduction in the number of parts, but also reduces the shape of the ink tank casing 101 as shown in FIG. The shape of the inner package 102 can be formed so that the corners of the inner package 102 are located along positions along the corners of the housing 101.

That is, in the initial state where the ink is filled,
Ink tank enclosure 1 with respect to ink tank housing 101
02 has a similar outer shape, and the ink tank inclusion 1
02 can be made to conform to the shape of the ink tank housing 101 serving as a housing at a predetermined interval, so that a dead space seen when a bag-shaped container is housed inside a conventional housing can be eliminated. In addition, it is possible to increase the ink storage amount per unit volume in the ink tank housing (increase the ink storage efficiency).

Further, as described above, the position of the partition wall (space dividing wall) 109 is dominated by the shape of the projection of the dividing wall forming die 210, so that the welded portion is formed into the above-described straight line or curve. This allows the storage section to have any combination of shapes, such as the same shape, similar shape, non-similar shape, and the like, and the volume ratio of the ink storage portion can be easily set.

That is, since the shape can be made arbitrary, the ink supply port to the recording means is also provided at an arbitrary position. Therefore, since the ink introduction portion on the side of the ink jet head can be provided at an arbitrary position, the design width of the ink jet head can be widened.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the volume ratio of the above-mentioned ink storage section is changed.

In FIG. 4, the partition walls 109 are arranged so that the inner volumes of the ink storage portions are different. This is because the welding portion 211 is not made parallel at the stage of FIG.
The main reason is that the parison 207 is formed so as to have different inclination angles with respect to the extending direction of the parison 207. Other factors include the conditions at the time of blow-in air injection described above.

In this manner, it is possible to realize a volume ratio of the ink storage portion corresponding to a usage ratio when a plurality of types of inks are generally used, and it is possible to easily improve the usage efficiency of the stored ink. Can be easily provided.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the ink tank as a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.
(A) is a sectional view, and (b) is a side view. In the present embodiment, the atmosphere communication mechanism is different from the configurations shown in FIGS.

In this embodiment, as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, ink evaporation is prevented, the pressure in the tank is made uniform, and
In order to prevent the leakage of ink, the ink tank has a double structure composed of two walls having different thicknesses, and is configured to freely follow the internal pressure fluctuation caused by the decrease of the ink stored in the ink tank.

In this embodiment, the housing 10 is made of a different material.
As described above, by using the difference in the heat shrinkage rate due to the formation of
The gap 107 is formed by peeling off the welded portion 104 of the portion 02 from the engagement portion with the housing 101.

Further, the housing 101 of the ink tank
A valve 108 which opens to the outside is provided to assist in balancing the pressure of the ink tank inclusion.

In normal ink supply, the gap 107
Although sufficient pressure adjustment is possible by drawing and introducing air into the space between the housing and the enclosure via the, the rapid pressure change caused by falling etc. can be absorbed more quickly. Is provided with a valve 108.

As a result, it is possible to cope with an unexpected increase in pressure, so that the reliability of the ink tank can be further improved.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams showing the structure of an ink tank using a manufacturing method different from that of the first embodiment described above. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. Shows a side view.

In this embodiment, too, the ink tank inner body and the housing are simultaneously formed in one step by blow molding.

In the ink tank 100 shown in FIG. 6, reference numeral 101 denotes a housing of the ink tank, and reference numeral 102 denotes an internal body of the ink tank. The housing 101 of the ink tank and the ink tank inner body 102 are configured to be arranged with a space therebetween, and the space contains air.

In the present embodiment, the inner packet 102 is not divided into separate parts,
Are arranged in parallel with each other, and the portions adjacent to each other are welded, thereby realizing a configuration of a plurality of accommodation portions inside the inner packet 102. As a result, if the respective ink storage sections are blow-molded with adhesiveness, a configuration having a plurality of ink storage sections inside the inner package is obtained as in the first embodiment.

Here, the portion adjacent to the ink storage section is
Since the ink containing portion constituting wall is welded, the thickness of the ink containing portion constituting wall is thicker than other ink containing portion constituting walls. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the wall that separates the ink storage portion inside the inner package located in the thickness direction of the flat container is thicker than the other constituent walls.

The materials of the plurality of storage chambers constituting the inner package and the material of the housing are not adhesive to each other. The material of the plurality of storage chambers may be any combination as long as they have adhesiveness (weldability) to each other.

Note that each of the ink storage units has a first
As in the embodiment, an ink outlet (ink supply port) 103 from the inside to the outside is provided.

On the other hand, a support portion 104, which is a welded portion (enclosure support portion) to which the inner package 102 is welded so as to form a closed space, is provided so that one ink storage portion is opposed to one ink supply port 103. It is provided in.

Therefore, the support portion 104, the ink supply port 103, and the welding wall 111, which is formed by welding the above-described wall of the ink containing portion, restrict the deformation of the ink containing portion accompanying the consumption of ink.

The generation of the negative pressure in this embodiment is caused by the deformation of each ink storage chamber 110 so as to be depressed from the large constituent wall (also the inner constituent wall) as in the first embodiment. At this time, the ridge line portion of the ink storage portion and the welding wall 111 hardly deform, but work to restrict elastic deformation and plastic deformation of the component wall. Here, the above-mentioned ridge line portion is in contact with the housing 101 in the initial state, and the mainly deformed constituent surface is a surface parallel to the paper surface in FIG.
That is, it becomes the side surface of the flat container.

Reference numeral 105 denotes an inner package 10 when the volume of the inner package 102 is reduced due to the consumption of the ink therein.
Reference numeral 106 denotes an intake port for introducing air between the housing 2 and the housing 101, and reference numeral 106 denotes an ink lead-out permission member serving as a connection portion with the ink jet head.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the ink tank shown in this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an ink tank manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an ink tank manufacturing procedure.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 201 denotes a main accumulator for supplying an internal resin, 202 denotes a main extruder for extruding an internal resin, 203 denotes a sub-accumulator for supplying a housing resin, and 204 denotes a sub-extruder for extruding a housing resin. It is.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the main accumulator 201 is prepared in accordance with the number of ink storage units required for the ink tank, and a plurality of inner accumulators for forming the ink storage units are provided. A plurality of parisons 207a are supplied to the inside of the housing-forming outer parison 207b supplied by the sub-accumulator 203 described above. Here, three colors for yellow, magenta, and cyan are used for color recording.
Two inner parisons 207a are arranged in parallel within outer parison 207b.

The manufacturing apparatus manufactures an ink tank through the following steps.

First, as described above, the inner resin and the outer resin are supplied such that a plurality of inner resins are arranged inside the outer resin (steps S321 and S322), and the parisons 207a and 207b are extruded (step S321). S
323).

Then, the parison is sandwiched between the parisons 207a and 207b by the shape forming die arranged so as to sandwich the end (step S324). At this time, the ends of the inner parison are welded, and this portion becomes a plurality of welded portions 104 separated at the end of molding so as to correspond to the respective ink storage portions.

Subsequently, air is injected from air nozzles provided corresponding to the respective inner parisons, and the spaces partitioned by the welding portions serving as the ink storage portions expand. At this time, each inner parison expands, comes into contact with an adjacent inner parison, and the adjacent walls are gradually welded to each other. Further, air is introduced and blow-molded into a shape suitable for the shape forming die (die) (step S).
325).

Thereafter, the inner shape is separated from the external shape mold (step S326), and after the inner package and the housing are separated (step S327), ink is injected (step S3).
28), an ink lead-out permission member is attached and hermetically sealed (step S329).

Also in the above blow molding, since the parison is processed in a viscous state, both the inclusion resin and the housing resin have no orientation.

In this embodiment, the thickness of the housing resin and the housing resin constituting the inner package before blow molding is t, t, respectively.
Assuming that T, the thicknesses t2 and T2 after blow molding are the thickness t,
It is processed thinner than T. The relationship between the thickness of the housing resin and the thickness of the housing chamber resin is equal to T as in the above-described embodiment.
> T and T2> t2.

In the case of using the manufacturing method of this embodiment, if the materials of the storage chambers are the same, it is desirable that the storage chambers have substantially the same shape. When the volume ratio of the ink storage chamber is changed, it is necessary to change the material of the storage chamber and adjust the air blow conditions such as pressure and time.

The use of the above-described blow molding not only reduces the number of steps in manufacturing and improves the yield due to the reduction in the number of parts, but also improves the yield as shown in FIG.
According to the shape of the ink tank casing 101, the shape of the inner casing 102 can be formed such that the corner of the inner casing 102 comes to a position corresponding to the corner of the casing 101.

That is, in the initial state where the ink is filled,
Ink tank enclosure 1 with respect to ink tank housing 101
02 has a similar outer shape, and the ink tank inclusion 1
02 can be made to conform to the shape of the ink tank housing 101 serving as a housing at a predetermined interval, so that a dead space seen when a bag-shaped container is housed inside a conventional housing can be eliminated. In addition, it is possible to increase the ink storage amount per unit volume in the ink tank housing (increase the ink storage efficiency).

Further, unlike the first embodiment described above,
The ink storage chambers can be arranged other than in a parallel state. FIG. 9 shows a schematic sectional view of the example.

FIG. 9A shows a configuration for accommodating four types of inks. For example, the accommodation amount of black (black) ink most used in recording is increased, and cyan, magenta, and yellow for color recording are increased. Can be set to 1/3 of the black ink capacity. FIG. 9B
Is configured such that the adjacent portions of the storage chambers are substantially Y-shaped so that the lead-out portions of the respective color inks are provided at equal intervals.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view, in which the adjacent portions of each container 110 are all shown in a straight line, but the surface that can contact the inner surface of the housing of the container is the surface of the container having the largest surface area, In other words, the surface does not need to be a linear shape as long as it is the surface where deformation starts first with the derivation of ink.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the adjacent portions of the respective accommodation chambers 110 are not limited to the flat thickness direction as in the above-described embodiment, and the large-area component walls are also adjacent. Therefore, in such a shape, it is preferable for the resin constituting the storage chamber to have no adhesiveness, and for the constituent surfaces themselves not to be welded for stable negative pressure generation. In this case, since the ridges and corners of the storage chambers are adjacent to each other without changing their positions even during ink supply, deformation of each storage chamber can be regulated even when ink is considerably consumed, Therefore, the negative pressure is stabilized.

On the other hand, even in the case where the adjacent portion of each accommodation chamber 110 is only in the flat thickness direction as in the embodiment shown in FIG. It does not matter if there is no adhesion and the structure itself is not welded. Also in this case, the ridges and corners of the storage chamber hardly change their positions during ink supply, and the deformation of the storage chamber can be regulated.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another configuration of the ink tank as a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.
(A) is a sectional view, and (b) is a side view. In this embodiment, the atmosphere communication mechanism is different from the embodiment shown in FIG.

Then, similarly to FIG. 5, the welded portion 104 of the inner package 102 is formed by utilizing the difference in the heat shrinkage caused by forming the case 101 and the inner package 102 with different materials and the residual stress associated therewith. A gap 107 is formed by being separated from the engagement portion with the body 101, and a valve 108 that opens to the outside is provided on the housing 101 of the ink tank to assist in balancing the pressure of the ink tank inclusion.

(Other Embodiments) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which a plurality of ink storage chambers are provided has been described.
The configuration is not limited to magenta and cyan, and a configuration including four or more ink storage units having black and other specific colors may be provided in addition thereto (see FIG. 11). Also, a configuration may be provided in which each color ink having a different density is provided for gradation recording.

A combination of the ink storage chamber and the discharged ink storage chamber is also possible. However, in this case, it is necessary that the communicating portion (provided like an ink supply port in the ink containing chamber) with the outside of the discharged ink containing chamber is configured to be capable of introducing liquid from outside.

In each embodiment, it is desirable to use a polypropylene resin or a polyethylene resin as the molding resin for the inclusion body, and to use a HIPS (high impact polystyrene) resin or a noryl resin (a product registered by GE) as the molding resin for the housing. Here, the HIPS resin is amorphous having almost no crystal structure, and the polypropylene resin and the polyethylene resin have crystallinity.

Non-crystalline resins generally have a small heat shrinkage, while crystalline resins generally have a large heat shrinkage. Other amorphous plastics include polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride and the like. No. In addition, examples of the crystalline material include those that form a crystal part at a certain ratio under a predetermined environment for crystallization, and include polyacetal and polyamide.

The crystalline plastic has a relatively clear melting point such as a glass transition temperature (Tg: a temperature at which a molecule starts micro-Brownian movement and a property changes from a glassy state to a rubbery state). On the other hand, in the case of amorphous plastic, a glass transition temperature is present but no clear melting point is shown.

Since the mechanical strength, specific volume, specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, etc. of plastics change rapidly at the glass transition temperature and melting point, selecting a combination of materials utilizing this property allows the resin on the inner and outer sides to be selected. Can be improved. This example uses an amorphous noril resin on the outer side and a polypropylene resin on the inner side as in the first embodiment described above, and has a mechanical strength on the outer side, In addition, soft materials with large heat shrinkage can be selected.

Further, the polymer molecule has a C—C bond and a C—C bond.
In the case of a hydrocarbon structure consisting only of H bonds, it is called a nonpolar polymer. On the other hand, a polymer containing a large number of polar atoms such as O, S, N, and halogen is called a polar polymer, but the polar polymer has a large intramolecular condensing force and a large bonding force to the resin.

By utilizing this property, nonpolar resins
By combining a non-polar resin and a polar resin, it is possible to improve the releasability of the resin.

In each of the embodiments described above,
Although the case and the inner package have been described as having a single layer, they may have a multilayer structure of different materials in order to increase impact resistance. In particular, by using a multilayer structure of the housing, it is possible to prevent the housing from being damaged during transportation or installation.

As the material used for the inner container of the ink tank of the present invention, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin and the like can be applied as described above, but the tensile elastic modulus used as the inner wall is 150 to 3000 (kgf). /cm
It is preferable that condition 2) is satisfied.

Next, the case where the ink tank of each of the above embodiments is connected to an ink jet recording apparatus will be described. FIG. 11A is a schematic view of a recording head which is recording means connectable to the ink tank of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a connection state between the recording head and the ink tank.

In FIG. 11A, reference numeral 401 denotes a recording head unit serving as a recording means, and the recording heads for black, yellow, cyan, and magenta are integrated so that full-color printing can be performed. Assembled. Reference numeral 402 denotes an ink supply tube as an ink introduction unit for introducing ink into each recording head unit. At an end of the ink supply tube 402, a filter 403 for trapping bubbles and dust is provided. I have.

When the above-described ink tank 100 is mounted on the recording head unit 401, FIG.
As shown in (1), by supplying the ink supply pipe 402 for each color to the press contact body 106 provided in the ink tank 100, ink can be supplied.

After the ink tank is mounted, the ink inside the ink tank is introduced into the recording head by a recovery means or the like provided in a recording device (not shown), and an ink communication state is formed. Thereafter, during the printing operation, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection unit 404 provided in the recording head, and the ink held in the ink container 102 is consumed.

Finally, an ink jet recording apparatus which carries out recording by mounting the ink tank of the present invention will be described. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink tank according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 12, the head unit 401 and the ink tank 100 are fixedly supported on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus by a positioning means (not shown) and are detachably mounted on the carriage.

The forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor 513 is transmitted to the lead screw 504 via the drive transmission gears 511 and 509 to rotate the lead screw 504, and the carriage is rotated by a pin (not shown) engaged with the spiral groove 505 of the lead screw 504. )
Having. Thereby, the carriage is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus.

Reference numeral 502 denotes a cap for capping the front surface of each recording head in the recording head unit, and is used for performing suction recovery of the recording head through an opening in the cap by a suction unit (not shown). Cap 502 is gear 5
08 and the like, and can move to cover the ejection opening surface of each recording head. Cap 502
A cleaning blade (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of, and this blade is supported movably in the vertical direction in the figure. The blade is not limited to this form, and it goes without saying that a known cleaning blade can be applied to this embodiment.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that desired operations can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 505 when the carriage moves to the home position.
If a desired operation is performed at a known timing, any of the embodiments can be applied.

The connection pad 452 of the recording head unit mounted on the carriage is connected to the connection pad 531 when the connection plate 530 provided on the carriage is rotated around a predetermined axis, and is electrically connected. . Since no connector is used for this connection, no unnecessary force acts on the recording head.

[0138]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the ink tank has a double structure including an inner package having a plurality of storage sections inside and a housing, and the inner package can store ink along the inner surface of the housing, the space occupied by the housing Of the ink can be made almost 100%. In addition, the reduction in the number of parts of the ink tank reduces the number of quality control items, simplifies the ink tank manufacturing process, and can easily meet the accuracy from a practical point of view when manufacturing the ink tank. It is possible to provide an ink tank with good yield at low cost.

Further, the provision of the regulating portion for regulating the irregular deformation of the inner package also stabilizes the negative pressure of supply of a plurality of types of ink, and prevents external mechanical forces, changes in temperature and changes in pressure. Since the inclusion is deformed delicately, the ink is smoothly supplied to the ink jet head. Since this negative pressure generation does not require an ink absorbing member having a capillary force or the like in the ink tank, the selectivity of the ink that can be stored is widened.

Further, since the ink tank is manufactured by blow molding, the ink tank is excellent in sealing performance as compared with an ink tank manufactured by welding or bonding a plurality of ordinary parts.
Excellent for prevention of ink evaporation and deterioration during long-term storage. Further, since there are few restrictions on manufacturing in forming the plurality of housing sections, the degree of freedom in design is widened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic schematic cross-sectional views of an ink tank according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view, and FIG.

FIGS. 2A to 2E are diagrams illustrating an ink tank manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for manufacturing an ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic schematic sectional views of another ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a sectional view, and FIG.
Is a side view.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic schematic cross-sectional views of another ink tank according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view and FIG.
Is a side view.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic schematic sectional views of an ink tank according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a sectional view and FIG. 6B is a side view.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ink tank manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for manufacturing an ink tank according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another configuration of the ink tank according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic cross-sectional views of another ink tank according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 11A is a schematic perspective view showing a recording head to which the ink tank of the present invention can be connected, and FIG. 11B is a schematic sectional view showing a connection state between the recording head and the ink tank. .

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing an ink jet recording apparatus on which the ink tank of the present invention can be mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Case 102 Inner package 103 Ink outlet 104 Welding part (pinch-off part) 105 Air intake 106 Press-contact body 107 Gap 108 Valve 109 Dividing wall 110 Housing room 111 Welding wall 201 Main accumulator 202 Main extruder 203 Secondary accumulator 204 Secondary extrusion Machine 205 Ring 206 Die 207 Parison 208 External shape forming die 209 Air nozzle 210 Internal shape forming die 211 Welding part 401 Recording head unit 402 Ink supply pipe 403 Filter 404 Ink discharging part

Claims (21)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink tank for storing ink, comprising: an inner package having a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink adjacent to each other; and covering an outer surface of the inner package and restricting deformation of the inner package at a plurality of locations. A housing provided with an inner package support portion, and an ink deriving portion for deriving the ink inside the inner package bag to the outside, wherein one of the inner package support portions has an integrated inner package. An ink tank, wherein the portion is a pinch-off portion held by a housing. 2. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein a wall partitioning the plurality of adjacent storage spaces of the inner package is thicker than a wall of a non-adjacent portion. 3. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the housing covers the inner package with a space communicable with the atmosphere. 4. A resin for forming the inclusion body, an ink tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the resin forming the casing, characterized in that different thermal shrinkage . 5. A resin forming the inclusion body is crystalline, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the resin forming the housing are amorphous Ink tank. 6. The method of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein at least one of the resin constituting the wall is non-polar
The ink tank according to any one of the above. 7. The package according to claim 1, wherein the inner package corresponds to a corner of the housing.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a corner.
An ink tank according to any one of the preceding claims. 8. The ink tank according to claim 7, wherein in an initial state in which the ink tank is filled with ink, an outer shape formed by the inner package and an inner shape of the housing are substantially similar. . Wherein said plurality of storage spaces, claims 1 to, wherein the inclusion body support portion each having a surface having the largest area on the surface excluding the surface provided
Item 9. The ink tank according to any one of items 8 . 10. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the ink lead-out section has an ink lead-out permission member having a function of preventing leakage of ink. 11. The ink lead-out permission member includes a rubber stopper,
The ink tank according to claim 10, wherein the ink tank is one of a fiber member, a porous member, a valve, and a filter. 12. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein a length of the pinch-off portion is shorter than a length of a surface having the pinch-off portion. 13. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein the pinch-off portion is provided on a surface facing the ink lead-out portion. 14. The ink tank according to claim 1, wherein one of the inner package support portions is a wall that partitions the plurality of adjacent storage spaces of the inner package. 15. The structure according to claim 14, wherein a wall partitioning the adjacent storage space is thicker than a wall of a non-adjacent portion.
The ink tank according to any one of the above. 16. A housing comprising: an inner package having a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink so as to be adjacent to each other; and an inner package supporter that covers an outer surface of the inner package and regulates deformation of the inner package at a plurality of locations. A body, and an ink lead-out part for leading the ink inside the inner packet to the outside, and one of the inner packet supporters has a part in which the inner packet is integrated is held by the housing. An ink jet cartridge comprising: an ink tank serving as a pinch-off portion; and an ink jet head joined to an ink supply portion of the ink tank and discharging ink. 17. A housing comprising: an inner package having a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink so as to be adjacent to each other; and an inner package supporter that covers an outer surface of the inner package and restricts deformation of the inner package at a plurality of locations. A body, and an ink lead-out part for leading the ink inside the inner packet to the outside, and one of the inner packet supporters has a part in which the inner packet is integrated is held by the housing. An ink tank that is a pinch-off unit, an ink-jet cartridge connected to the ink tank unit, and an ink-jet head that ejects ink in response to a recording signal, and a carriage that is removably mounted and scanned by the cartridge. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized in that: 18. A method of manufacturing an ink tank having an inner package having a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink adjacent to each other and a housing covering an outer surface of the inner package, wherein the housing of the ink tank is formed. A step of preparing a resin for the housing of the ink tank and a resin for the inclusion body, and a cylinder of the resin for the inclusion body in a cylinder smaller than the mold formed by the resin for the housing. Forming a parison arranged such that a plurality of parisons are present, and holding the parison by the mold and injecting air into a plurality of cylinders formed of resin for the inclusion body of the parison. A method for manufacturing an ink tank, comprising: a step of forming a shape so that a corner of the inner package and a corner of the housing correspond to each other; and a step of peeling the housing and the inner package. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, in the step of forming the ink tank, a thickness of a portion adjacent to the inner packet forming the space is made thicker than other portions.
3. The method for manufacturing an ink tank according to item 1. 20. The method for manufacturing an ink tank according to claim 18, further comprising a step of injecting ink after the step of separating the housing and the inner package. 21. An inner package having a plurality of storage spaces for storing ink so as to be adjacent to each other, and a housing for covering an outer surface of the inner package, wherein the inner housing corresponds to a corner of the housing. A step of preparing an ink tank having a corner portion, and a step of depressurizing the storage space to separate the inner package and the housing; and a step of storing ink in the storage space. Manufacturing method of ink tank.